An Apple a Day
by Hushed Tones
Summary: Regulus noticed a girl about his age. One of her hands holding tightly onto a little blue book, the other firmly in Narcissa's hand. She had short, but very curly, midnight black hair. From a distance she looked a lot like Bellatrix. But Regulus couldn't seem to pull his eyes away from her. *Mary-Sue* - You have been warned. Adopted from SonyaWho


House Elves.

Little, tiny house elves running this way and that. Carrying trays and cleaning supplies and many different elaborate Christmas decorations.

Ah, yes it was that time of year again. Time for the annual Christmas Ball; hosted by none other than Orion and Walburga Black. Sound familiar? I would be surprised if not. The pair would do anything to make sure they are widely known. Of course, you would too if you were part of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black.

You see, there is a lot to live up too when you're a Black. Should you fail; you'll be a disgrace to the Black family name. Should you disagree with and/or go against family beliefs; you'll be labeled as a blood-traitor.

Oh, but worst of all would be being disowned and blasted off the Black Family tree. However, the causes to such actions may vary.

As mentioned, Walburga and Orion Black will go out of their way to make sure they are front page material. That means their sons must be as well.

"Boys, I would like to see you down here within five minutes," Walburga yelled up the stairs to her two boys. "And don't keep me waiting; I need to make sure you look presentable." With that, Walburga walked into the kitchen to see how the food was coming along.

At the sound of their mother's voice, the two boys hurried to tie their shoes and straighten up their dress robes.

The first boy to make it down the stairs, with only a few hairs out of place, was about seven years old. He wore dark blue robes that contrasted with his sharp grey eyes and made them look even more piercing than they were. His shoulder-length, elegant, dark curls fell a bit onto the right side of his face. His thin lips were curled up into a smirk (one that only a Black could master) as he turned and called up the stairs to his brother.

"Beat you again, Regulus."

Regulus sighed and walked slowly down the stairs. "Oi! What's wrong now, Reg?" The older boy asked, his concern overshadowing his previous victory. "The same thing that's wrong every year, Sirius." Regulus said looking down at his slightly disheveled dark grey dress robes. "Why do we have to wear these? Why do we have to have these parties? They're always the same." He complained. "And they're boring." He added as if to prove his point.

Sighing, Sirius went up to his little brother. The boys were very similar in appearance, yet there were some notable differences between the two. They both had handsome faces and there was no doubt that the two would be heart-breakers when they're older. They both had sharp gray eyes (a Black family trait) but where Sirius' were a gray with a hint of blue, Regulus' were overall gray but when you looked close enough you could see that they were flecked with blues and greens and even some violet.

As opposed to Sirius' curls, Regulus' hair was only slightly wavy. Regulus also had full lips that he had inherited from his father, unlike Sirius whose thin lips came from his mother.

Straightening out his brother's robes, Sirius tried to sway his current mood. "Aw, cheer up, Reg. It won't be that bad," Just as Regulus was about to say otherwise, Sirius continued. "Besides, have you forgotten who you get to meet today?" He questioned his brother.

"No." Regulus said defensively. Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Alright, maybe I have forgotten" He admitted. Sirius gave a disapproving shake of his head. "You get to meet Areabella. Remember?" Regulus made a face as if to say "who?"

Sirius gave an irritated sigh. "Surly you haven't forgotten Auntie Claire, Mum's best friend?" Regulus's hand flew to his left cheek. The one his auntie Claire usually pinches every time they meet. "Of course," Regulus said still holding his cheek. "How could I forget?"

Sirius chuckled at the dazed look in his brother's eyes. "Yes, well, Areabella is her daughter." He explained and then added, "she's just your age."

"Oh." Regulus said removing his hand from his cheek. "I hope she isn't like her mother." He said remembering the overly enthusiastic woman that is their auntie. Claire isn't the type of woman whom one would think a Black associated with, but somewhere along the way Walburga had befriended her as well as Druella Rosier who is now the boy's aunt by marriage, Druella Black.

Their auntie Claire is part of the Melvorn family. Melvorns, said to be almost as ancient as the Blacks, consisted of very powerful witches and wizards. Be that as it may, the Melvorns weren't as well known in England as they were in France, Romania, and the States. The majority of the family worked with magical creatures, for instance: dragons in Romania, the minority were healers, so they usually resided in places with high activity though the family is known to keep to themselves.

As harmless as they may sound, Melvorns were a long line of Slytherins. They, much like the Blacks, are a tough crowd to please. Much of the family believed blood-purity came far before anything else. There is no doubt that any living Melvorn today would choose the dark side over light anyday.

But, then again, there is the occasional black sheep of the family.

"Don't worry, she's very quiet." Sirius said pulling Regulus out of his thoughts. "How would you know that?" Regulus asked his brother skeptically. "Because," He said, "I've already met her."

"No you haven't." Regulus accused his brother of lying. Sirius started to lose patients. "Yes I have, Reg, just last week. You were sick, remember?"

"Oh." Reg said, much to his chagrin. "Well, I hardly see how that's fair." He just shrugged and started walking toward the kitchen to find his mother. Regulus followed suit.

"Boys, I thought I told you five minut- oh." Walburga started then stopped at the sight of her boys' entrance. Regulus and Sirius stood at attention while there mother looked them over.

"Are we presentable, Mother?" Sirius asked. "I suppose so." She replied. "Well, don't just stand there, say hello to your cousins."

Sirius and Regulus almost didn't notice their Aunt Druella, Uncle Cygnus and their three older cousins standing near the door.

"Yes, Mother." They replied at the same time and approached the group of five. They first said hello to their aunt and uncle who just shook their hands in turn. Then they said hello to their youngest cousin, Narcissa, who hugged them both tightly and gave them friendly smiles. Then they greeted their eldest cousin, Bellatrix, who just gave them a slight nod of her head in acknowledgement and then continued to stand there looking unimpressed.

Their other cousin, Andromeda didn't look as lively as she normally did. Whereas her greetings were usually along the lines of Narcissa's, today it was borderline-Bella. This, come to think of it, must have something to do with that letter Sirius had found earlier in the week.

It was a letter from his aunt Druella to his mother. Sirius had found it on the floor while he was on his way to breakfast. He picked it up and skimmed over it quickly before returning it to his mother. It said something about Andromeda and a boy named Ted Tonks. Sirius could tell by his aunt's writing that she wasn't happy about Andromeda's new friend, and apparently has set Bella to spy on the pair. She has found out that Ted Tonks was a muggle-born and in Hufflepuff house at Hogwarts. Two things of which his aunt did not approve of.

And by the look on Andromeda's face, Sirius was sure that his aunt had confronted her about it. Though, he couldn't see what the big deal was.

"Has Auntie Claire arrived yet?" Bellatrix's voice cut through Sirius' thoughts. "She should be here shortly." Walburga answered though she looked doubtful.

Bellatrix nodded and headed toward the ballroom, to await her Auntie Claire's arrival, her sisters in tow.

Her Auntie had promised her that she could do Areabella's hair and make-up for the party. The 15-year-old was quite fond of the young Melvorn which was a bit out of the ordinary. Bellatrix was never fond of anything, let alone another human being.

Bellatrix saw something in Areabella that others couldn't. Something that she herself wasn't even sure of. She thought Areabella reminded her of herself. And they were very much alike in more ways than one. Bellatrix wanted to be her favorite, wanted to be the one Areabella would turn to in a time of need. She knew that in order to be closer to Areabella she would have to be gentle with her. For Areabella was much more fragile than Bellatrix.

"So, have you guys met Areabella yet?" Narcissa asked her two cousins. "Well I haven't, but Sirius says he has." Regulus answered. "Of course he has." Bellatrix said as if they were all mental. "What's that supposed to mean?" Sirius questioned. "You'll know soon enough," Was her only reply. Before they questioned her further, she walked away and sat in front of the fire, where she stared blankly as if in deep thought.

"What does she mean, Cissy?" Narcissa turned to Sirius. She smiled sadly before replying, "I'm not entirely sure." Seeing Sirius accept this answer, Narcissa released a breath she didn't know she was holding. Of course she knew what her sister was on about. But Bella was right, he will know soon enough. Or, at least when the time was right.

There was a long silence before it was broken abruptly. "So, when did you meet Areabella?" Andromeda asked Sirius, speaking for the first time since her arrival. The tension in the room was thick and full of confusion and Andromeda couldn't stand anymore tension in her life, especially now with what was going on with her and Ted Tonks. Andy, the rubber band, she could only take so much tension before she snapped.

"Last weekend," he stated. "Father went to drop off the invitation for the party, said I could come along. Reg was ill, so Mother stayed home with him." Andromeda nodded her head and put on a small smile, happier about the diffuse of tension then the reply.

The four sat down and started a small conversation about Hogwarts and what to expect when they attend. It was Andromeda's third year and Narcissa's first.

More guests had started to arrive and everyone was filing into the ballroom.

Andromeda and Narcissa's other cousin, Evan Rosier, and his friend, Rabastan Lestrange had joined the group of four. They were both Regulus' age.

Bellatrix, finally out of her stupor, could be seen chatting with Antonin Dolohov, Lucius Malfoy, who, Sirius noticed, kept glancing at Narcissa, and Rodolphus Lestrange, who was standing a bit too close to Bellatrix then Sirius knew to be proper.

Bellatrix excused herself from the group and headed toward her sisters. "Has anyone seen Auntie Claire?" After hearing a "no" and an "I don't believe so" Bella headed back toward her group but stopped short at the sound of a familiar voice.

"Walburga, darling," came the sing-song voice of Claire Melvorn. She had wavy, dark auburn hair that was currently up in an elegant bun. Her light brown eyes look marvelous next to her sun kissed skin.

She turned to greet Andromeda, Narcissa, Bellatrix and Sirius before pinching Regulus' cheek and chancing a glance at Walburga who looked quite disappointed.

"Auntie Claire?" Narcissa said politely, gaining Claire's attention back. "Yes, dear?" "Aren't you forgetting something?" She asked expectantly. Claire, however, just smiled knowingly at the group of kids who were now looking at her; waiting for her reply.

"Oh, you mean Areabella?" She asked and they all nodded eagerly. "She's just having a glass of water; she'll be in shortly."

After answering a few questions from Bellatrix, Claire finally made it to Walburga and Druella.

"Been a while hasn't it dearies?" Claire said. Druella looked at her oddly. "Do stop using that term." Druella hardly got her sentence out before Walburga rounded on Claire. "You're late," she said, seething.

"Walburga, listen," Claire started. "I know I'm the life of the party, but I can only do so many things at once." Walburga successfully hid her smile. "Yes, well, you cannot be the life of the party if you are not here."

"Well I'm here now, thus; the life of the party. Now, wherever are Cygnus and Orion?"

Walburga sighed at her change of subject, gave her a look that seemed to say 'We will talk later' and went off to find Orion and Cygnus.

Regulus was getting impatient. The party was just as boring as he thought it would be. He looked at Narcissa who sighed; she was getting impatient as well. Rabastan and Evan had started bickering about quidditch.

"I'm going to see what's taking Areabella so long." She said as she headed for the kitchen. Regulus saw Sirius trying to stifle a yawn. "Told you these parties were boring." He said smugly finally pulling off the infamous, Black smirk.

Not really being in the mood, Sirius saw something out of the corner of his eye. He gladly took the opportunity to shut Reg up.

"Hey Reg,"

Just as Regulus lifted his head to his brother, still smirking, Sirius turned and waved to someone who had just entered the ballroom.

Regulus followed his eyes.

It was just Narcissa.

He looked back at his brother who was now standing. He noticed it was a bit quieter than it was just a few moments ago; Evan and Rabastan had stopped their bickering and were looking in the same direction as Sirius.

Regulus sighed and looked toward Narcissa again, but this time she wasn't alone.

Regulus noticed a girl about his age. One of her hands holding tightly onto a little blue book, the other firmly in Narcissa's hand. She had short, but very curly, midnight black hair. From a distance she looked a lot like Bellatrix.

But Regulus couldn't seem to pull his eyes away from her.

Sirius looked back at his brother. He could see his smirk slowly fading off his face as he looked at Areabella.

It was Sirius' turn to smirk. He knew just the mere sight of Areabella would shut Regulus up, like it did to him the first time he saw her. But it was his second time; she shouldn't still have that effect on him…should she?

By the looks of it, Areabella seemed to have quieted Rabastan and Evan as well.

Rabastan just looked curiously at the girl.

Evan looked as if he could care less.

"Who's that?" Rabastan asked. It only came out as a whisper, but Sirius heard him clearly. "That, my friend," he said looking back at the two girls who were making their way over, "is Areabella Melvorn."

"She's pretty." Regulus said breathlessly. "She's very pretty." Sirius agreed. Rabastan nodded. Evan sighed.

"She's just a girl." Everyone seemed to ignore him; Narcissa and Areabella had finally made it over to them.

"Hello, Sirius" Areabella said timidly. "Hello, Bella." Sirius greeted. It was then that Narcissa noticed the way Reg was staring at Areabella. "Areabella," she said, "this is Regulus."

Areabella looked up at Regulus and smiled shyly. "Hello Regulus"

"Hi." He said as he looked into her doe-like eyes. They were a unique green-gold color. And they seemed to pop next to her fair complexion and dark-as-night hair.

Areabella noticed two other boys standing near Regulus. The shorter of the two, Rabastan, smiled and extended a hand. It was then that he saw she was still holding onto Narcissa's hand. "Rabastan Lestrange" He said confidently. She released Narcissa's hand and reached out for his, "Areabella" she said quietly and quickly grabbed Narcissa's hand again.

She looked toward the other boy and smiled shyly. He hardly even glanced at her. "Evan." He said reluctantly, after receiving a look from Sirius.

Areabella, Regulus observed, had shrunk back into Narcissa's side at his tone. Narcissa realized this as well and bent down next to her. "I think someone wants to see you" she said and pointed toward the fire where a small group stood.

Regulus saw her eyes light up.

"Trixie!" She said happily. "Why don't you go say hello?" Narcissa suggested. "I will be over in a minuet." She said this to Areabella but was looking at Evan fiercely.

Areabella nodded before walking over to Bellatrix with a small smile on her face. Little blue book held tightly to her side.


End file.
